Jurassic Park: The Broken Lives Saga by Dinohunter55
Chapter 21: The Poisoned Dart
A heavy mist blanketed the valley. Dark shadows moved within its murky depths. Silver Claw watched the ghosts of men from the safety of the treeline. His quills stood straight and his body trembled with a barely contained eagerness. The hint of dawn cast a fiery glow along the mountain ridge despite the fog.
The radio crackled and then Silver Claw sprang into the grass before Sara could say anything to stop him. The guards were distracted for the moment. He crept closer than he had before. The cover of the fog made his approach much easier but the threat of sounds meant he had to move slowly.
The radio crackled again.
"Doug, are you there? Over," a voice said on the radio.
A light came on within one of the tents and a moment later, a man jumped out, pulling on his pants. He picked up the radio and turned it down.
"Doug here. Good to hear your voice Lance," the man said and then spit, "Over."
Silver Claw crept closer. The other men in the camp started moving about.
"Get the camp packed and the helicopter ready," Lance said, "Over."
"What's going on Lance?" Doug said.
"We need to pick up and move sites," Lance said. "We heard velociraptors during the night, a lot of them just across the canyon. Bastards sound like screaming devils, over."
"Did they see you?" Doug said. "Do you need extraction? Over," Doug started yelling to the other men in the language Silver Claw could not understand but got the meaning of well enough as they started running about. Even the guards left their station to help.
"I don't think they saw us but Diego is spooked," Lance said. "We're safe for the moment but request a ride out of here once this fog clears, over."
"Where are you holding up?" Doug said and pulled out a paper from his pocket, spreading it over a small table. "I got a map in front of me, over."
"The aviary," Lance said. "Got a clear…"
The conversation faded as Silver Claw raced away. The sound caught the ear of the men but it was too late for them to catch him. He entered the jungle and nearly ran into the waiting pack.
"What did you hear?" Sunayana said.
"They're at the aviary," Silver Claw said and moved past her. "We have to get there before they leave."
Tyrannous leapt down from the branches and sank his deadly claws into the flank of a young edmontosaurus. It cried out and started bucking to shake him off. He only sank his claws deeper and kicked faster. Blood splashed hot against his legs.
The edmontosaurus herd panicked and then stampeded. The young edmontosaurus carried Tyrannous with it as it fled. The press of bodies became too much among the large redwoods and Tyrannous leapt free just before the heavy body of an adult slammed into the young edmontosaurus.
He tumbled to the ground hard as herd passed by him. Tyrannous snarled and gave chase. The weeping wounds left an easy trail but this was not the dense jungle of the western part of the island and he saw the herd easily enough between the towering trees despite the fog. Their alarmed honking too made it an easy chase.
Then, Tyrannous saw the out of place shape among the trees ahead and slowed his pace. The frightened herd ran straight into the waiting jaws of a tyrannosaurus. It ambushed the herd from where it was standing patiently, completely still until the prey was in range.
It was over fast.
The buck tyrannosaurus carried the bloodied body away, easily hefting the weight with its powerful neck. The rest of the herd ran on with Tyrannous left hungry.
He snarled and moved deeper into the island. The tyrannosaurus pair slowed his search. They patrolled their territory frequently and chased him out of it more than once. He suspected they were building a nest somewhere. If that were the case, he would have to leave soon. However, it was hard to figure out the exact range of their territory due to the mountainous nature and many valleys on this side of the island.
Worse, he found no trace of the one he sought.
The dawn light filtered through the swirling mists that dissipated slowly with the warmth of the sun. The bulk of the great trees forced the light into narrow slivers. The redwood forest stretched over a large portion of the eastern side of the island. He knew them well enough. He searched them for a long time before breaking off to explore the rest of the island.
His journey took him north until he found an open plain. There were only a handful of dinosaurs grazing and all were too large for him to take alone. For now, his hunger would wait.
Among the trees nearby, Tyrannous found an old marking clawed into the skin of a bare trunk. He looked it over. The memory was faint but still there. This was the southernmost range of his pack's territory at the time. He and his mate made these marks.
His heart ached with memory. The lone hunter did not suit him. He longed for a pack, his pack. He turned to leave but the hint of something in the air stayed him. He lingered for a while until it caught his nose again.
Tyrannous traced the source of the smell to a discoloration in the bark of a nearby tree. It was weeks old and nearly gone. The scent was familiar and yet not. However, it was unmistakably velociraptor. It was a scent mark. He snarled. Finally, he found something.
Amanda stifled a yawn as she woke and stretched out on the floor. She was alone. Amanda sat up quickly and listened. She heard the soft back and forth of Lance and Diego coming from up the stairwell. The tension eased. They did not leave her behind.
A pair of bars awaited her nearby and she greedily ate them before wishing she savoured each bite. The amount of human food declined with every day that she remained in a building. Soon she would have nothing left and these were fresh. Meat was good and each dinosaur tasted different at least. She could live off it but it lacked the richness of other foods she craved and missed. Her mouth watered but then her stomach growled.
She found the single bathroom and tried not to think too hard on the fuzzy growths around the toilet. The toilet paper was fresh though, courtesy of either Lance or Diego. That was another thing she missed.
Leaves worked only so long as you used the right ones. She learned that the hard way some time ago.
After, Amanda went to a broken window and looked outside. The fog was thick but thinning. A cool moist breeze caressed her face and filled her nose with earthy smells. She saw the distant mountains and thought she saw some dinosaurs on the plain. Something flapped inside the canyon but otherwise the world was quiet.
During the night, the velociraptors attacked something on the other side of the canyon. It startled her and Diego awake as Lance was keeping watch. She saw them but could not make them out in the dark. They were like moving shadows against the deeper gloom. She wondered what got them so…
Amanda heard the faintest rasp of metal on metal. Her eyes went wide and she rushed up the stairs. Diego pressed a finger to his lips as she reached the top. Lance looked through the riflescope at something beyond the building.
"What is it?" Amanda whispered. Her heart raced.
"There's something in the fog." Lance said. He placed a pouch on the floor and then from his vest pulled out a monocular for Diego. "Beyond the fence and moving fast," Lance adjusted his scope.
Diego took the monocular and looked out, scanning the area quickly.
Amanda's heart raced as she crept up quietly. She got between Diego and Lance. With their focus entirely outward, she grabbed the bag of poisoned bullets and slipped it into her pocket.
"I see it," Diego said. "Fuck! It's a raptor."
"What!?"
"Shhh," Diego whispered. "They'll hear you."
Amanda grabbed the monocular from Diego and looked out. She spotted the raptor quickly. It was Silver Claw! He was jogging along the other side of the fence heading for a break to get through. She quickly spotted Sara, Sunayana, and Grey not far behind. She wondered where Loki was.
"Don't shoot!" Amanda said.
"Shut it girl," Diego said and grabbed her by the collar. "Those things will hear us and come runnin'."
"If you shoot them, they'll come for you." Amanda said. She tried pulling free of Diego but he held her tight.
"Quiet," Diego snarled with bared teeth.
Amanda snarled back like a velociraptor. Diego released her, eyes wide.
"I got a clear shot on one," Lance said.
"No," Amanda screamed and then turned and kicked hard. She caught Lance in the ribs.
The gun shot.
Less than a second later, a velociraptor yelped.
"Fuck," Lance stood and slapped Amanda hard across the face.
Amanda dropped to the floor, crying.
"I missed." Lance started looking around.
Amanda crawled to the stairs and then rushed down them.
"Where are the bullets?" Lance yelled.
"Fuck, they're through the fence!" Diego howled.
A couple of gunshots rang out but no velociraptors called out. Amanda's heart raced and her face stung. Snot ran thick from her nose but she ignored it all as she reached for the doors. She grabbed the first bolt and pulled it open, moving on to the next.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? Don't open that door." Lance yelled as he rushed down the stairs, Diego rushing ahead of him. "Get down the stairs to where it's safe!"
There was a loud thump on the roof, quickly followed by a second one.
Amanda looked back as she forced the final bolt open. Tears blurred her vision as she pulled open the doors and stood holding them open. Her eyes locked with Diego. His eyes widened with realization as the snarling visage of a velociraptor ducked under each arm and passed into the building without touching Amanda.
"The fuck!?" Diego said and disappeared out of sight.
Lance raced after him, narrowly dodging Sara's jaws as he dropped out of sight. Silver Claw and Sara circled the stairs for a moment. Sunayana's head looked down from above but pulled back quickly.
"There're aiming up the stairs," Sunayana cried down.
Sara moved away while Silver Claw rushed Amanda.
Amanda laughed as she tumbled to the ground, hands against Silver Claw's face. He buried his snout in her collar and made a sound close to purring.
"I thought you died when you jumped over that cliff," Silver Claw said. His eyes closed as he took several deep breaths.
Amanda felt his racing heart and her own heart grew heavy. He did see that. "I'm ok Silver Claw." She eased his quills down and then wiggled out from under him to sit with her brow against his. His breathing was heavy.
Sara stood over them and soon the gentle thuds of Sunayana and Grey came from outside.
"Is there a way to get to them?" Grey asked.
"Not safely," Amanda said and looked up at the other velociraptors. "You won't be able to get down the stairs without getting shot. I think they'd shoot me now too if I tried."
"They're leaving soon," Silver Claw said. He looked up. "They were getting ready to move their camp to another area of the island as soon as the fog clears."
"Good," Sara said. "They won't be our problem anymore. Let's leave before the fog clears. We will check back to make sure they left after we get you two back to the lab. No need to risk our lives further if they're leaving." Sara started walking away.
"One moment," Amanda said. She kissed Silver Claw's brow and then stood. She walked by the stairs and pulled out the pouch, feeling the weight of at least a dozen remaining bullets. She considered taunting the men but decided against it. Instead, Amanda loosened the pouch and threw the whole thing as far as she could into the canyon. She heard the brief jingle of metal as the bullets slipped free of the pouch and spilled into the mists. The empty pouch caught on a breeze and then spiraled out of sight. "Now I'm ready."
Amanda hurried back to the door and left with the velociraptors, leaving the doors open. They moved quickly northward along the road.
"I wish I could have caught them," Silver Claw said and then looked at Amanda. "Which one did that?"
Amanda touched her face. It was hot and a little swollen. "Lance did after I kicked him. Does it look bad?" Silver Claw kept closing his eyes and looked completely exhausted. She figured he probably stayed up all night worrying about her. She felt a little guilty for getting as much sleep as she did.
"It's only a little red. I think you'll make it." Sunayana said as she walked past Amanda. Sunayana flashed her teeth.
Amanda chuckled a little but rubbed the spot anyway. It might bruise later.
The group moved silently north along the road until they came to the point where a stream passed through a culvert beneath it. They stopped to drink. Amanda only managed to get one cupped hand of water before the velociraptors alerted to something nearby.
Amanda warily backed towards Silver Claw. He swayed a little and blinked his eyes rapidly but said nothing. He must truly be exhausted.
Three velociraptors emerged from the mists.
Amanda relaxed a little until she spotted one of them. Talon was among the group with Loki and Zathana. Amanda looked at Sara who was watching her with a curious gaze. Amanda swallowed nervously. Too much had happened in the past day for her to feel angry at Talon right now.
"We heard the gunshots," Talon said. "Jack sent us to investigate."
"You're away from the nest," Sara said.
"Only so I could eat, with Jack's permission," Talon lowered his head. He glanced at Amanda.
"We were on the other side of the canyon," Zathana said, "We heard the gunshots and Father sent us."
"Why did he not come?" Sara said.
"We had a run in with some herrerasaurus last night that were after our meal." Zathana said. "Osiris was injured."
"Is she okay?" Grey stepped forward immediately.
"She'll recover," Talon said quickly. "It's a minor injury but Jack wanted to make sure that she and Rebecca got back to the nest safely. He didn't want either one to get worse. They went back to the nest once they both got their fill of the stegosaurus this morning. We were guarding the kill all night and decided to abandon it at dawn."
Loki yawned.
"Osiris is Grey's mate," Sunayana whispered to Amanda.
Amanda nodded and then wondered if she could help in some way. Maybe a first aid kit from the lab would work, depending on the injury and if the kit was still safe to use. Silver Claw leaned on Amanda and she rubbed his neck. His heart was still beating quickly.
"We were shot at," Sara said.
"Where are the humans?" Zathana snarled. "Are they dead?"
"They are leaving soon," Sara said, "Not our problem anymore unless they decide to stay."
The tension left Zathana and she looked disappointed. "Did anyone get shot?" Zathana looked at Grey.
"It wasn't me that they shot," Grey said.
Amanda's brow furled, "Who got shot?"
Silver Claw collapsed, dragging Amanda down with a startled yelp.
"Silver Claw!" Amanda cried. She pushed his shoulder to free her legs as his head lulled and eyes blinked repeatedly. Her hand came away sticky with thick blood. Amanda screamed.